U.K. Service of Commemoration Marks End of Iraq War

At a memorial service honoring Britons who died during the Iraq war, the Archbishop of Canterbury said Friday it will take time for historians and moralists to decide if the conflict was justified.

Rowan Williams — an outspoken critic of Britain's role in the war — told a congregation at St. Paul's Cathedral that there are lessons to be learned from it. His audience included Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Iraq President Jalal Talabani, former Prime Minister Tony Blair, top officers in the British military, veterans of the war, and families of British soldiers killed there.

In June, Brown announced an inquiry to examine decisions made before, during, and after the operation.